Elvis At Madison Square Garden

Flaming Star/ FTD came up with another themed book. This time the shows at Madison Square Garden are targeted.

Design

The design is great: good lay-out, fine balance between text and pictures (mainly the latter). There really is nothing to complain there.

Content

The front cover is enough for me, and there is even more! Without kidding, first hand memoires are always fun. I’ve heard them from Phil Gelormine first hand (when that guy starts talking… ;) ) and it is nice to read this part again in this book.

We get a nice sketch of the time and place and some background information before the real content breaks loose: the 5 shows. Five yes, since I regard the press conference as a show too.

Stunning pictures are mixed with less stunning ones. Some of the latter might better have been left out, but for completeness’ sake… ah well, I don’t mind that they are in.

The chapters for the ‘real’ shows in MSG are completed with original reviews and memories by the likes of David Bowie and George Harrison.

The CD has an audience recording of the first show on June 9, 1972. It has a lot of echo, probably the size of the venue is due to that. After you get used to that it isn’t that bad at all for an audience recording. It is not part of the better ones (regarding sound), but certainly not among the bad ones either. The show is not really surprising, it’s like the others (and most 1972 shows): tight and fast (too fast, sometimes). Highlights to me were Never Been To Spain (as often) and Bridge Over Troubled Water.

Conclusion

We have seen much of this material before, we know the shows, but still it was a huge pleasure to have it in this one package! In my book it is one of the winners by Flaming Star/ FTD.